Lost in Lost

I have been obsessed with Lost for the past few weeks and to be honest when I get into a particular show I tend to forget the world, considering how much of a couch potato I am and the fact that this is my comfort food, and my only means for unwinding.

Imagine, 3 weeks ago I had never watched a single episode of Lost and as of last night I watched the final episode of Season 5 which was aired on 13th May 2009 in the US. Meaning I watched 103 episodes in 3 weeks! Guess you are starting to see the obsessive nature of this habit. Can I help it, of course I can; its not an addiction but it’s comfort to me. Some folks, like a Whiskey Sour, some like a smooth glass of Sem Sav or a smoking Cohiba, I like my TV!

M back to normal ;-)

Sweaty & Tired but Blessed

Yes, a Wednesday in church! How awesome and nostalgic! To my usual readers this is not an attempt at sarcasm but more one of delight. Yes utter delight! (the throw your hands in the air kind of delight).

I am grateful to the little me for remembering about this. Honestly, I would have forgotten completely as I was so absorbed with what I was doing today.

Grateful to 21PurpleHorses who got us seats in Audi. A true prized commodity this evening although I know it does not matter where you are but it does from a comfort perspective. In any case, I needed that "Audi Feeling"'!

Grateful to my infinite drive time playlist on moi iPhone that allowed me to warm up for P&W and thoroughly enjoy my spirited drive.

Grateful to the drivers on the road who opened a clear path for me to get to my destination with relative ease and brevity despite a close shave, I was never worried as He is my co-pilot.

Grateful to our Heavenly Teacher who has empowered our Earthly Teacher to preach a deep, substanced and rich message but with simple and practical uses and reminders for everyday life.

Grateful to Jesus, for blessing us so abundantly that recounting everything would be true testament of His faithfulness and love for me and my household. People, it's better than Toto first prize!

Finally grateful for the walking on air feeling, the I can conquer ALL things feeling and the knowledge and comfort that through Him ALL things are possible.

M looking forward to 27.
21... TIA!

The Unknown, Retrenchment, Roaches & Silly Molos

The past few weeks have been revelatory for the wife and me. We are venturing into the unknown as we grasp with something new. It is exciting but sometimes scary but mostly exciting challenging sort, for me personally. I guess that is part of life’s journey or shall I say rollercoaster without sounding too much like Mr Keating.

Also there has been news in the air about retrenchment and to eventually see the axe coming for some selected guys who I work with closely is tough. I understand the rationale behind it but the idea and the knowledge that something like our jobs that we sometimes take for granted can be changeable is awakening. BUT for me, I know lah; nothing can come near me, as I am protected, just like how I am from the swine flu. It may sound strange to some but its true, just need to apply it.

As for roaches and silly molos, I think they fall into the same paragraph. In case, you wondering what a “molo” is, it’s my terminology for a bozo. I do not want to pinpoint my encounter with the silly molo (as there have been a few) in question as it is pointless but know that I am not deterred or derailed. And since we are on the subject, I also had an encounter with roaches two nights in a row that I have been a little tramatised. I was actually woken up from my sleep by its scurrying and eventually Baygon-ed the buggers. Now I can’t seem to shake the idea of roaches from my mind when I sleep, thus leading to a string of sleepless nights.

But God-incidentally, I saw this yesterday from The One Thing, as quoted:

Psalm 127:2
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

God “gives His beloved sleep”. Who are His beloved? You and I! Because we are in Christ, we are His beloved. (Ephesians 1:6, 2 Thessalonians 2:13)

So there is no need to face these sleepless nights brought about by worry or fear because it is not worth much or it is in vain without Him being in control. I may have temporary success on my own but permanence can only be achieved by casting my cares to Him and letting Him handle it. So there; it has been cast and I am letting go now of ALL things!

M Free

About Bob

Allow me to introduce “Bob” the new addition and member of the white good family at JK.

Launching Commemoration This is a great day for us: we are on the verge of a wonderful adventure. Today's launching comes at an appropriate time in history. For nearly 10 years Anusi has tireless toiled and now we have given her deserved rest. In these uncertain times, we need stability. I now introduce a new torch bearer to which the tall task has fallen to. Ladies and Gentlemen, Bob! (euphoric clapping erupts). As I stand humbled by the task afore you, and the trust that has been placed into you, I wish you be mindful of the sacrifices of ancestor. Despite the changing weather and circumstances, I say to you be that beacon of strength and stability. Be all that you can be. Be Bob!

This post will only make the sense if you read: Obituary : End of an Era

M Laughing

Obituary: End of an Era

I regret to inform you that my beloved Anusi has died. After 10 years of service, she has dried her last piece of clothes. Her demise was on 4th of April 2009 though we felt that she needed a good rest so we left her but she was unrevivable. Yes, she was my one and only Zanussi dryer.

Eulogy She had a good and stable life and has brought joy into two separate homes. She was heavily used and at times abused. Worked more than she was designed to be worked and some days she has worked through the night. Each time without fail she has produced dried clothes and linens, faultlessly except for the rug incident which was not really her fault. Come on guys, Read the Wash and Care Instructions! Overall all I am really pleased with her and when she passed I felt a part of me go. I know that she will not want me to be without a dryer, as such I have brought a predecessor to carry on her legacy. Let’s hope the new addition can live up to the high standard that Anusi has set. Farewell Anusi, as you make your way to the Dryer Heaven, to be with your people and stand proud among them with the knowledge you have made a difference.

I know all this sounds a little over the top but in context it will not. What time dryer represents to me is financial freedom. Freedom from the reliance of my parents’ money, that is. This was a first “big ticket” item that I purchased with my first ever paycheck. But not to be limited to that, but it also represented the unleashing of the Laundry Nazi in me. Yes you heard me, and I think the time has come for a dedicated Laundry Nazi post (akan datang).  For now let’s take some time to reflect on those who have gone ahead to great big cloud in the sky.

M

Mourning.

Number 6 of 25 – Axe at Scoutmaster

When I first put my 25 random things list together, I realised that most of my current circle didn’t know much about my past and the many adventures I’ve had. Of course now life is just as adventurous but it’s a different flavour. So when I put the list out I recieved quite a few “Wows!”, “Interesting Life”, etc and some people said I should tell the story behind them, so here’s one:

6. I threw an axe at my Scoutmaster in Secondary school, following which I quit from the Scouts.

I joined the Scouts when I was in Primary school, because my parents thought that it will teach me good principles and practices that will last me throughout my life. Well I guess it sounds logical in theory but sometimes, the human influence on an impressionable group can be so overpowering that a creed, motto or a pledge cannot cover.

When I came to Secondary school, this was certainly the case. The people running the “show” were a competitive bunch and considering I was from one of the most active and strongest Scout troops in SG, the rest of the troop was meant to be that way too. At that time, I found that Scouting was lame. Sorry Scouts! So I became what I would like to term as a “fringe participant”, that is, more like “along for the ride”. This did not go down well with my Scoutmasters, in particular one who was not a member of the teaching staff but an outsider, let’s call him Mr. Action.

Mr. Action had spoke to me a few times, urging me to be more participative and not be so slack. He said once and I quote “I know you Malays are quite slack in nature but you need to be different”. Wow!, this statement caught me completely off guard for a few reasons:

1. I am not Malay, I may not be very dark but I am Indian.
2. He was being an utter racist, no one should be compartmentalised for whatever reason.
3. I would have forgiven him for such a ignorant comment but him being Scoutmaster it was absolutely disgraceful.
4. For a guy with a crappy command of the English language to have the “stones” to say something like that, Wow! Mr. Action indeed.

I ignored this “brotherly talk” but at the same time remained on the fringe. As days passed I found myself getting “arrowed” for the really crappy jobs. Like cleaning out the Quartermaster’s store (which was filthy, there was absolutely no way of cleaning it completely), polishing a pile of old trophies and soaking wood in kerosene (for campfire) all while the rest of the troop was doing fun stuff and hanging out with girl guides. Perhaps at this point I should mention I was the only non-Chinese or non-Eurasian in my Scout troop, so the victim in me kicked in as well, I must admit.

My animosity for Mr. Action was piling. Hey, I was a young boy with no knowledge of how to channel my anger. So one day as I was untangling a large sack of rope in the store, Mr. Action walked in to see my progress. He was not impressed and proceeded to lecture me on about the how I should be, when he started to talk about being a Malay and that he understood that my “background was different” and I am not completely to be blame since “my culture is like that”. At this point, I was quite hot. I snapped when he said that my parents though uneducated as most Malays are should not have such a lasting influence and that he can make the difference in my life, if I listened to him.

At this point, I grabbed the nearest big “throwable” object and flung it in his direction. Thanks be to God that he ducked because it was an axe that I had threw! He was so surprised at what I did, that when he got up he was literally trembling. I shouted “You racist son of a b*i^h, wait till the Principal hears about this!”. Following that I stormed out and went to the teacher in charge and quit from the troop. It made no sense in carrying on. I never did speak to the Principal and I never heard another word from the Mr. Action.

Till today, I am thanking God that Mr. Action ducked, my life would have been different if he did not. Its just another one of life’s hard lessons that stays with you, I hope Mr. Action learnt something as well.

M Thankful.

Camera Shy

It's funny but something really strange has happened. I've gotten what I like to call "camera shy" but, not in the conventional sense. This term is associated with being shy to have ones photo taken. Well I do not like that either but in most cases I am the fellow behind the camera.

So for me "camera shy" meant, the shyness of walking around with a large camera snapping pictures as I walk along. Huh? But you see in a place like SGP this activity is now preceded by strange looks and basically an uncomfortable feeling.

This never used to bother me and I would just be snapping pictures without caring who or what was looking my way as long as I got the picture I wanted I did what I wanted. Often times I did get chased off because some people thought I was "invading" their privacy. Of course I would never do that but SGPoreans are getting hyper sensitive or wait is it me that is hyper sensitive?

This should somewhat explains the near 20 day lag in 365. I will catch up and I will get over this silly shyness.

M overcoming

Cocoon

We all take for granted the roof over our heads. It cocoons us from the elements and all nasties. Having lived in relatively old houses for all of my life, has been a privilege of mine. But with older houses comes roof leaks, floor leaks (this one is new: whereby water from the ground water table overflows and seeps upward!), and other structural issues.

Today the roof @ JK is leaking, actually it has been that way since the cats in the roof incident, and in an effort to safely remove the cats, the roof was compromised and is now leaking. After the recent heavy downpours, we came home to a flooded bedroom, yes it is leaking in our bedroom.

So in an effort to find the source of the leak a hole was made in our roof, a gaping hole in the bedroom showing the innards to the roof. So temporarily lost is that cocoon feeling that we all should have when we are sleeping that we often take for granted.

Sometimes, the little and insignificant count so much when they are gone. To be fixed.

M glad the end is near

Home Day

Whenever I decide to take a home day there are so many plans. Today's home day was because the roof needed to be fixed.

So I had the day planned for some relaxation, TV comfort, some home fix me chores and if I was really bored; work all while they fiddled on the roof.

In my defence I did try. I got the ladder out to replace a bulb in the toilet only to find that I got the wrong size. Haizz talk about stolen thunder.

Work wise it did not last me long because a few SMSes this morning peeved me off not to mention a rather unpleasant IM exchange.

What was productive was the TV comfort. Hahaha. I seriously can do that all day. 2 episodes of Kings, 3 of United States of Tara, 2 Flight of the Concords, 1 Greys, 1 Mentalist and 2 Lost was the final count by 22:20.

Oh wait I did do some work, I did some emails and had a conference call with the guys from Pune. Solid productivity I'll say.

M laughingly pleased

Clean Me Please

After being a slave of car grooming and basically the car itself with my GTI. I decided to give it a rest with Leggy and take the car as a means to get from point A to B.

Overall I have been taking good care of the car from an internal standpoint. Regular servicing and always listening to the engine for problems. The outside has suffered though. From weather wear to the occasional bird droppings to not washing the car myself ever. Only care the exterior gets is SPC hand wash which is bad. What you expect since they use Mama Lemon.

So today I relented and got Leggy detailed after my 40K service. As I went pick her up I realised the original car color that has been hidden under all that grime. I have never seen Leggy that shiny before well since the day I collected her. She looks good (not a great picture below). Oh dear.

M enslaved again

Sushi Nazi

Sushi Kikuzawa at International Building is where this guy tortures his patrons who come for some good Japanese food only to be force fed by a never ending barrage of sushi. This is the buffet.

I tried to be smart and avoid eating the rice on which the sashmi came upon so that I can make the buffet value for money but, the Sushi Nazi, as the name stuck to him from that moment on, said that I have to finish the rice as well. Not so much what he said but more the way he said it. Like a character from a Kurasawa movie.

As the rice balls got bigger and the sashmi on top got smaller (OK this might have been psychological on my part..hehehe) I said enough to the Nazi as the wife continued only to concede a few minutes later. After pondering the menu for a while, I figured out the system and got smart to it. Ordering what I wanted, basically items without rice.

But as soon as we were back to eating delightful Japanese food at a leisurely pace with the Nazi off our backs, the waitress came and announced "Last Order!"

YMGC!

Funny point was that I was telling the wife of a picture that came into my mind. Picture this; Sushi Nazi as an evil anime character making sushi for his terrified customers. Where the rice part of the sushi is the size of a bowling ball with a normal sized piece of salmon on top.

M Sushoo-ed

SideNote: Picture to remember

Turn back the clock to 23rd June 2007, our wedding day. After a night of many drinks and much food. All were merry because the big day was over and we were celebrating the success of the event. So as the alcohol continued to flow and the fun.

This picture of the wife's shadow and my shadow with my Dad was taken. This picture just surfaced a few days ago.

Such a memorable capture!

M

Truth be told

Yes it must be and I am a great believer of not lying especially to loved ones. I have lied so many times to so many people that it has gotten me into such a great deal of shit that it is not worth mentioning. Oops…I just did.

Anyways, as the two previous posts from the wife entitled I need a wig and Coconut head part 2, there has been some drama regarding a precious head of hair in the past couple of days. However, from all the shenanigans one revelation has come to light, I do not lie especially when it comes to my wife. At the end of the day it just isn’t worth it, even small white lies.

So after the first cut, she was really upset and I told her, hey I quite like this haircut as it truthfully to me, it looked really cutey. However, the rest of the reaction from some friends and colleagues did not gel with mine. So she concluded that I was just being nice and husband like. Hhmmmm…

So yesterday she proceeded to go and get the haircut “corrected”. We went to Yellow Light since we were working on the new menu and reading about Thai food really got the cravings going. She was coming from the saloon and me from home. So as she walked in the look on my face was obvious and she asked me, what I thought. I said “I liked the previous one”. This was clearly not the answer she was expecting as she was expecting my usual politically correct answer. She slumped!

Truth be told, the cut was nice but the outfit was not really suiting the cut and she looked a little strange. Moreover the way it was styled was a little weird, so for me personally it took a little getting used too. Whats more the lighting was a little off and she looked better when we got home.

As we headed out for work this morning, with her hair washed and she wearing an outfit befitting the cut, she looked more like my girl. I mean she has always been my girl and will always be no matter what she looks like, but she was looking much nicer compared to last night.

M NMOS

World of Hurt

Today, on the next stop of the Skinny Ambition Tour 2009, brought me to the Fitness Network gym at Sci Park. I usually work out in the morning when the crowd is then except for a few other crazies. I was heading to my usual cross country skiing machine, when I realized that they are all occupied. YMGC.

So looking around, I was looking for a place to get my cardio in. Hmmmm…. treadmills…I thought it best to stay away from the treadmills now until I get some reasonable strength into my legs else I will be stopping the tour.

Then I saw the machine that is possibly the least used machine in any gym; the daunting Rowing Machine. So I hopped on and started rowing. I started to sing in my head,

Row, row, row your boat,
Vigorously down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream

As I was rowing I realized man this is tough. I was starting to feel stiffness so I targeted to complete 1Km at least. Eventually after around 10 or 5 agonising minutes, I was at 1 Km. I can't remember whether it took my 5 or 10 minutes because I was a little dizzy and my main focus was to get myself onto my two feet without falling over.

Eventually after I regained my composure I went back to my now freed cross country skiing machine to complete my workout. So as I sit in the office now, I am in a world of hurt. I probably worked muscles that have lain dormant for quite a while. End of the day, I would call it a good workout and I am sure I will make a trip back to the rowing machine again.

M in some pain.

Morning Cycling Drama

Yes more drama...eh come.... on I am Indian, they don't call us drama mamas for nothing.

After getting back into the exercise mode of things, today instead of the usual date with a cross country machine at the gym, I decided to do something different. Using my newly purchased Saris Sentinel 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack I decided to bring Scottie to work and ride around Kent Ridge Park. I was more hoping to take in the part of Singapore called the Southern Ridges. What I got in the end was quite different.

So last night when I got home I spent a few minutes putting on the bike rack onto the car. It went on with relative ease so I was all ready for the morning. In the morning, I after doing my morning usuals, I proceeded to fasten the bike with much excitement. It was pretty easy and soon the wife and me were heading to work, with Scottie hanging on from behind.

When I reached my carpark at Sci Park, I quickly dismounted the bike, got my helmet on and headed out towards the Southern Ridges. All was going well, I was enjoying the mixture of breezy down slopes, calf cramping up slopes and the occasional bike on shoulder climbs up the stairs. Eventually I reached the top of Kent Ridge Park, and proceeded towards the Southern Ridges, when I came to the Canopy Walk. It was really beautiful and I was enjoying myself and the scenery.

At the end of Canopy Walk, I hit Pepys Road just outside Reflections at Bukit Chandu. What followed was a windy down slope. I thought it was a short down slope to the next part of the Southern Ridge ride, it turned out to be road straight down to Pasir Panjang Road. This was when things started to go south....hmmm...Southern Ridges. So with my lightning fast mind, I decided to cycle up Pasir Panjang Road and then make a left to Alexandra Road and get back to the planned route, via Alexandra Arch

Eventually, I got back to the place where the Southern Ridges was supposed to be but I could not find it. OK, time to start a little panic. After a while of riding in circles (as shown below), I knew it: I was completely and utterly lost.

As I was riding around in circles, I realised that I forgot to bring the shirt, that I was planning eventually wear after my shower and for the rest of the day. In my excitement to get the bike onto the car, I forgot my shirt! So this was another parallel problem I had to solve along with being lost.

In exasperation, I had to become my old adventurous self and bash through the jungle and go guerrilla style. My objective was to get to Normanton Park, only road going way was via AYE. Bikes are not allowed on expressways so I had to go off road from Russells Road to Normanton Park. So here I was riding in the vegetation that is parallel to the AYE. Eventually, I got to Normanton Park and eventually back to the office. Purple line on above picture indicated my entire route.

After my shower I managed to get my hands on a company long sleeves polo and that became my attire for the day. All in all it was an entertaining morning and to be honest I have not had this much fun on my own in a while! I am sure I will get lost again and I am looking forward to it!

M enjoying being lost!

Rainbows

One thing we do not get to see often in Singapore are rainbows. Probably due to the pollution but for the last few days I been seeing them. Rainbows have a special effect on me. They raise me up into such high spirits that I just need to make the person next to me laugh or smile. Usually the wife is the one.

It takes me to my time in Perth. As I sat in the bus on a drizzly day while trundling along Mounts Bays Road and looking over the Swan River I see an array of 4 rainbows. Hmmm what an awesome a sight!

Biblically the rainbow was a signal that God's judgement was completed and that it is a reminder as to why Jesus died for us. It's the beginning of redemption and an overflow of blessings to come. So lookout! It's coming.

M anticipating.

David After Dentist

I got this clip from my Best of Youtube podcast, and it is really funny and cute. Check it out. Laughter guaranteed!

M

SideNote: Saris Sentinel 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

This bike rack can hold three bikes, so Little Me, time to get a bike and start riding with me....
M waiting

Lunch Mission

Since this week has been delightfully no very busy, I have been able to get a lot of my backlog completed. So today since I did not have any meeting encroaching into lunch time or any after, I decided to take some steps towards Skinny Ambition. With my good workout this morning, I thought that I need to get my stuff in order for my Saturday morning bike ride.

So I went on the Net found a bike shop near by and headed completely in spontaneous fashion. I was like a man on a mission weaving through traffic so that I can maximise my time the shop and get back to office without missing too many beats.

Treknology Bikes 3 located near Henry Park School was the place to be this Thursday afternoon. Found the shop being run by Indians which was a good thing from there it was easy to make friends with the “bikeshop guy”.

Here is a the list of my spoils:

Saris Sentinel 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

Trek Interval Helmet

Lastly a Cateye Strada Wireless Cycle Computer.

So I managed to get most of the things except the padded tights because there was no size. Oh well, another time perhaps. All in all, a pretty successful trip out. Now for some healthy lunch and believe it or not I found it as a matter of chance. Next post ya...now time to get back to the beat!

M ready

Skinny Ambition Tour 2009

Yes I have finally recovered from all my ailments and I can now start exercising again and start losing some of that excess weight that I have been putting on over these pass few months.

It all started with Christmas which is just a makan fest. Although it was muted, we did eat quite a bit. Then New Years did not do me any favours at all, adding onto my bulk. This was swiftly followed by Chinese New Year in Penang. Need I say more?

This was followed by several bouts of flu like symptoms and a never ending cold that dogged me down for a few weeks, which just miraculously ended.

So now, I am proud to declare that I am fit and well, all ready to start the exercise routine. Yesterday was a good gym morning not too heavy, go slow and also with the knowledge that I will be playing street soccer after work. Today is rest day and tomorrow the exercise continues.

Aside from this I need to start getting serious about cycling. I have been “leisure” cycling with Scottie for awhile now and it is time I got safe. Things to get (these are not hints, ya):
1. a good helmet – considering I am riding on the road
2. some padded tights - my ultra hard seat is the butt impediment to go distance
3. a good bike rack for my car – so that cycling is not limited to Jalan Kayu and its surrounds, got to mix it up lah
4. a speedo - track my progress and to push myself harder progressively.

M on tour